When UConn walked into an empty Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, the Huskies stepped into the bright lights of the Big East tournament.

The Huskies definitely weren't in Storrs anymore.

The players, especially sophomore James Bouknight, took notice.

"We were the first team in the Garden today," coach Dan Hurley said on Wednesday night. "As we were walking in, the lights were dim and then as we literally walked out on the court the lights came on and the energy level changed. James (Bouknight) let out some type of a noise."

The Huskies, winners of six of their last seven including four straight by double digits, are aiming to make some noise in New York this week playing in their first Big East tournament in nine years.

Third-seeded UConn (14-6) begins its title quest in Thursday's quarterfinals (9 p.m., FS1), facing No. 11 DePaul, which surprised No. 6 Providence, 70-62, in the final first-round game on Wednesday night.

"Just proud of what the team has done this year," Hurley said. "Took a big step forward as a program to this point. Feel confident but also understand that conference tournament play is a different animal and different level of intensity, so we've got to keep that edge and understand how we've gotten here."

"... My message with the guys has been we've taken a big step this year... Let's take an even bigger step as a program."

The Huskies already are in position to earn an NCAA tournament berth, no matter what happens this week. So, in a sense, the pressure is off.

Then again, UConn is a trendy pick to cut down the nets on Saturday night. And Husky Nation is revved up by the program's rebirth.

"There's always very, very high expectations when you play or coach at UConn," Hurley said. "It's a different situation for us now because we have a lot more fans than we did two weeks ago in terms of people on TV, the talking heads on different shows, which is fine. It should excite our players even more.

"The buzz is back with our program. People are really excited about UConn again in March. Now we've got to go out and perform."

The Huskies are as talented and deep as any team in the Big East. Their foundation is built on gritty defense, tenacious rebounding and all-out effort. And they're playing their best basketball as they enter postseason play.

"I think Connecticut is playing as well as anybody in the country," Providence coach Ed Cooley said earlier this week.

But the Huskies do lack tournament experience. They lost out on a chance to compete in the postseason last year when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world.

Bouknight, who's from Brooklyn, is new to the red-hot postseason spotlight, as are several of his teammates. Veterans Brendan Adams, Isaiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton last saw tournament action two years ago and that ended with an ugly loss to Houston.

It's been five years since the program has captured a league tournament title, lifting the AAC trophy in 2016.

"My biggest fear really is, not many guys have played in a conference tournament, period," Hurley said. "It didn't go that well for the guys that did play in one. Then we have a number of guys that don't understand they're going to be playing a team (DePaul) that may be fighting to play another day in their season."

DePaul (5-13), which is coached by former UConn assistant Dave Leitao, stayed alive to fight another day by stunning Providence. Senior Charlie Moore and junior Javon Freeman-Liberty led the Blue Demons with 21 points apiece.

UConn swept the regular season series, winning 82-61 on Dec. 30 in Storrs with Bouknight in the lineup and 60-53 Jan. 11 on the road with an injured Bouknight watching from the sidelines.

"For many years, I've maintained myself as a tremendous UConn fan, because they run a great program and continue to do so on both sides — men and the women," Leitao said after Wednesday's win. "So my heart, at least a piece of it, will always be there. But this is DePaul. This is 2021.

"Danny has a helluva team that is physical, that has a tremendous out-pitch in Bouknight, and Whaley and the guys in the frontcourt tend to put it on you, so we've got to be really, really ready physically and emotionally."

While there will be less at stake this week for UConn than some other Big East teams, Hurley vows he'll have his team ready to go."

"We know there's going to be a great tournament for us next week," Hurley said. "It's human nature to let that diffuse you a little bit. It's my job to have our guys ready. We may get knocked back in the first media timeout or first media timeout and a half.

"That's when we've got to lean on how hard we practice, the fact that we're one of the hardest playing teams in the country. We do the hard things well, like defend and rebound and be a together team. ... We're a hard team to beat. Somebody is going to have to play really well to beat us."

g.keefe@theday.com

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

At Madison Square Garden, New York

Games on FS1 (Final on Ch. 61)

Wednesday's Results

First Round

No. 8 Georgetown 68, No. 9 Marquette 49

No. 10 Butler 70, No. 7 Xavier 69 (OT)

No. 11 DePaul 70, No. 6 Providence 62

Today's Games

Quarterfinals

Game 4: No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 9 Georgetown, noon

Game 5: No. 4 St. John's vs. No. 5 Seton Hall, 3 p.m.

Game 6: No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 10 Butler, 6 p.m.

Game 7: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 11 DePaul, 9 p.m.

Friday's Games

Semifinals

Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.

Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday's Game

Final

Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 6:30 p.m.